Rival's Stories- Animal Parade
by StarshipFarm
Summary: A collection of one shots about the various rival pairings from Animal Parade. Warning: Lots of fluff.
1. Gil and Luna

**AN: I decided to write a few little stories about the rival couples in Animal Parade, since they need a little bit more love, and I need a little more practice writing. They'll all probably be on the short side of 1,000 words. This is the first thing I've written in a long while, but I hope it's okay anyways. This first one is for Gil and Luna, one of my favorite pairings. I'm always appreciative of reviews!**

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 **Gil and Luna**

Gil walked into the tailor, ready for his holiday splurge on a new suit. And, he thought, perhaps a visit with Luna.

Their relationship was complicated to say the least. She was the creative one, the one with all the new, wild ideas, and he, of course, was the reality check. The latest adventure of hers had involved buying up all the local farmers' silk and using it to make what long, flowing cheongsams for the New Year's Festival.

Gil had been skeptical to say the least. He had shouted himself raw during an argument over why it was a bad idea, but she had persisted. The cheongsams had been a success, and Luna brought in twice as much profit as they usually did on New Year's, which was saying something. Gil had learned that night that sometimes a reality check wasn't necessary. Hard work and determination like Luna's could get you anywhere.

As he walked up to the shelves to pick out a material, he couldn't help but notice just how meticulously placed every item was. The clothes were beautiful, yes, but the placing was genius. The most beautiful dresses were placed just so that they caught the light and became works of art. As he thought this, Luna popped around the corner.

"Gil!" she said, walking over to the shelf to join him, "I didn't know you were coming by! Here for another one of those sweater vests?" Gil smiled a rare smile at her. Luna's way of joking was teasing and occasionally insensitive, but it was kind-hearted at its roots. She wouldn't tease if she didn't care.

"Not today, Luna. I'm looking for a new suit that I can use in a presentation I have at the end of spring. Any advice on material?" Luna took a glance at the nearby bolts of fabric and cringed.

"You weren't thinking of using that for a suit, were you?" she asked, giving him an amused glance. Gil looked at her in confusion.

"Why not?" he asked, frowning in his typical embarrassed manner. Luna giggled.

"Polyester looks cheap. Come on, let's look over here," she said, leading the way to the back of the store. Gil followed a few steps behind her.

"Wool is a good material," she said, pulling a few bolts of the shelves with practiced grace. Gil watched in growing surprise as she pulled out at least 10 different types of black and gray.

"Well, uh- what color would you recommend?" Gil asked, trying to come off as confident. Luna pointed at once to a white fabric still on the shelf and beamed.

"Well, if you ask me, I think that white is your color, although I wouldn't say it's necessarily a common one," she said, pulling it down. Gil looked at it and smiled again.

"It looks perfect. Do you still have the measurements you need?" he asked, assisting her as she began to put away the other cloth. She gave him a wink which usually meant, "Do you have to ask?"

"Do you have to ask?" she asked, grinning, "It's not like I'm about to throw away one of our most loyal customer's measurements just because he thought my cheongsams were a bad idea." Gil ducked his head in embarrassment.

"I told you, Luna, I'm sorry about that. Your idea ended up working just the way you thought it would," he said. Luna giggled.

"I know, Gil. I'm only teasing," she said, turning to place the last of the cloth back on the shelf. She paused for a moment, then abruptly spun to face him with a flushed face.

"But, you know, I have another idea," she said, her voice at a higher pitch than normal, "Mind if I run it by you?" Gil nodded, and waited for her to form the words.

"I thought it would be a good idea- well, that is, I thought it might be fun- if we went out sometime. You know, at the inn?" she asked, her words tight, but deliberate. Gil stared at her for a moment with a slightly agape mouth. Her face turned even redder.

"Well, don't just stand there," she said loudly, "What do you think?" Then, when Gil didn't answer, she slouched a bit, deflated.

"Sorry, I know, you'd never-" she continued, but Gil learned how to talk again all at once.

"No, no- I mean yes! Yes, that is a good idea- I mean, I'd love to," he said, interrupting her. Luna's grin rushed back, and she walked over to punch Gil on the shoulder.

"Why didn't you say so sooner, you square!" she said, still grinning. Gil smiled down at her in return.

"How does tomorrow sound?" Gil asked, hoping that wasn't qualifying as rushed. But then, Luna was dragging him out of the tailor towards the inn.

"Why not today?" she asked as she pulled him behind her.

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 **AN: I hope you enjoyed it! I'm planning on updating pretty regularly, and hopefully have a chapter for each rival pairing. Leave a review with any suggestions you have!**


	2. Toby and Renee

**AN: Well, uhh, I did _mean_ to update regularly. Oh well. I hope you like this next chapter, for Renee and Toby. I took a few liberties with backstory, and it's a little cliche. But that's okay, because... I don't know. It just is. Enjoy! Oh, and thanks to the guest who left a review, you brought my attention back to the fact that I have been a slow updater, and so thanks for that! Have a virtual high five!**

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When Toby was fishing, he felt at peace. There was nothing like damp grass and the sounds of gurgling water to soothe a spirit. He could sit for hours undisturbed like that, if he found the right fishing hole. And right now, he needed a little soothing. So, he went out on the island to find somewhere to fish.

He hadn't had much luck finding a good place yet. It had to have water, obviously. It had to be secluded, but not so secluded that no one could find you if they were really trying. It had to be quiet, but also full of natural sounds, and maybe a few animals. The only place he hadn't checked yet was the field past the bridge, and the forest near there.

When he crossed the bridge, a path led down to a large watermill. Well, he thought, it won't be exactly silent, but maybe it'll do. He walked down the path, and was glad to see that there was a cliff shielding a perfect place to hide and fish. The only problem was, there was a girl there. No matter how much he liked this place, he couldn't kick someone out.

As he turned to leave, his fishing pole hit the side of the small cliff with a "thwak", and the girl looked up with the warmest smile he had ever seen.

"Oh, hi!" she said, "You're Toby, right? I've seen you at school and everything, but I guess we don't talk a lot. Why don't you sit down?" She was still smiling, and Toby couldn't resist, even though he had been looking forward to some alone time.

"You're new, right?" she asked with a cheerful tone. Toby cast his line into the water.

"Yeah, that's me," he said quietly. The girl glanced over at him, frowning at his tone.

"How has that been going? Do you like it here?" Toby shrugged. The fact of the matter was, no matter how nice this place was, his parents and his aunt had just died, leaving him with only his uncle and little cousin.

"It's okay, I guess. There's lots of good places to fish." He gave her a weak smile and then turned back to his fishing rod.

"I think your cousin's really cute," she said, "he's so little." Toby nodded and kept fishing.

"My name's Renee, by the way," she said, "My house is just behind that hill up there." She pointed far up the path, past the forest. Toby only nodded again, and after a few moments, he pulled out a large trout, which caused Renee to gasp.

"Wow! I've never seen a fish as big as that one! And you got it on your first try! That's amazing!" she gushed. Toby smiled at her.

"My dad taught me which is the best bait at this time of year, and I've practiced a lot. Do you want me to teach you a bit?" Renee brightened even more and clapped her hands.

"Would you? Oh, that would be amazing!" she said, and then asked, "Is your dad still on the mainland? I thought your uncle was the one taking care of you." Toby's face darkened, and Renee instantly apologized.

"Sorry. My dad always says I'm like a nosy little foal. I shouldn't ask so many questions," she said, and then turned back to her fishing, visibly upset. Toby stared at his own pole, and then answered.

"No, it's okay. My dad was a sailor. He and my mom, and Uncle Ozzie's wife all died in a boat accident. We moved here right after," he said. Renee turned to him, her eyes wide.

"I'm really sorry. My grandpa died a year back, and I still don't think I'm over it. It must be 10 times worse to lose your parents," she said. Toby gave her a half-smile.

"It's okay. This place isn't really half bad, and my uncle and Paulo are really nice. It's just that I never expected it to be this way," he said, and noticed that tears were forming. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Can I... still learn about bait?" she asked. Toby paused, then nodded.

"If you want to learn, I think that would be a lot of fun," he said.

"I'll meet you here, then, after school. Don't forget your pole!" she said, packing up her own. Then, Renee walked over and gave him a hug, startling him.

"See you later!" she said, waving as he walked off, pole against his shoulder.

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 **Thanks for reading! Feel free to review or send suggestions!**


	3. Calvin and Phoebe

**AN: This one might be my favorite. Just fluff, but I love this pairing. Enjoy! Thank you so much to those who followed and reviewed! Your support is greatly appreciated!**

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Phoebe was never really interested in movies, she was more of a book type of gal. She had read everything from Harry Potter to Pride and Prejudice to The Elegant Universe. So, when the "Indiana Jones" guy moved into town, and her mom called him nothing but that, she unfortunately didn't get the reference.

It wouldn't have been a problem if he hadn't begun to frequent the mines. It's not like Phoebe went much elsewhere except the General Store. And of course, when she finally said her first words to him, they were, "Oh, you must be Indiana Jones."

He had laughed, and she had blushed when she understood her mistake. She would have to catch up on her movie-watching, apparently. As they both worked in the mine over the next weeks, they talked about how the movie rental system was so difficult to manage. It took weeks for things to arrive from the city, and by then, they would usually have to return them right away. When Calvin heard this, he was surprised.

"You mean it takes that long for anything to get here? It only took a day of boat travel to reach the island," he said, examining an odd-looking stone.

"Yeah, but there's only Pascal who actually travels between here and the mainland, and he makes other trips as well. He can't always bring everything back right away," she explained, swinging her hammer against a crystal containing some wonderfuls.

"Well, then, next time he goes out, I'll go with him. Then I'll hire another boat to bring me back," he said. Phoebe gave him a sideways glance.

"You'd go through all that trouble for a movie? I can wait until it gets here," she said.

"It's no trouble, I've been planning a trip to the mainland for a while. But when I get it, would you be interested in watching it together? It's one of my favorites, and it's always more fun when you watch it with a friend."

She agreed, although her dad only nervously approved. But her dad was always nervous, after all. And a week later, Calvin was back, and he pulled the case out of his bag with a grin.

"Can you meet me at the inn at seven tomorrow? Your family is welcome to come, and I think Maya and Jake are interested. It'll be a fun night," he said, and Phoebe nodded, smiling.

When her family arrived at the inn, the tables were pushed to the side and blankets and pillows were spread out across the floor. The entire family who ran the inn was there, although Yolanda and Colleen were in the kitchen, preparing the next day's meals, along with Calvin and a few random travelers who happened to be staying the night.

"Hello miss, it's nice to see you somewhere with a little bit of light," Calvin said jokingly. Phoebe smiled, and pushed up her glasses.

"Yeah, you too, Calvin. This all looks great," she added, gesturing to the cushioned seating area. Calvin tipped his hat.

"I thought it was a nice touch," he said with a smile, and then he pointed out a couple of pillows arranged together.

"Why don't you take a seat? Yolanda said she'd leave out some popcorn, so I'll go get that started," he said, and walked into the kitchen. Phoebe and her parents took a seat, Simon pointedly taking the cushion directly next to Phoebe.

"I'm not going to let just anyone sit next to my daughter," he said in a rare moment of courage. Phoebe laughed.

"It's not like that at all, Dad. Calvin and I work in the mines together, and he likes movies. That's all there is to it," she said, starting to feel a little uncomfortable as her mother joined in the teasing as well.

"That's what they all say, Phoebe. That's what they all say," she said, laughing.

Calvin returned holding a giant bowl of popcorn, and sat down next to Barbara, directly behind Phoebe. He placed the bowl in the middle of the four, and then used the remote to finally start the movie. Maya got the lights, and the movie began.

It was good, but not that good, Phoebe thought. There were a ton of plot holes, and half of it seemed like the did it just to make Jones look heroic. Then she mentally added, Calvin would never act like Jones did. Being all show-offy like that. He was a lot more interesting.

She blushed in the dark as she thought that again. He was a lot more interesting.

Just then, a hand touched hers, and she saw Calvin, one hand on hers and the other reaching for the popcorn. It was a casual touch, but judging by the small smile on his face, it was not accidental.

 _I wonder_ , she thought, _if Calvin thinks I'm interesting too._

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 **Hope you liked it! Funny story, I actually watched the 8 heart scene AFTER I wrote this. In case you haven't seen it, it's basically Calvin asking Phoebe if she's interested in marriage, and Phoebe tells him that she's interested in him. Aw. Anyways, I kind of smiled at the coincidence. Leave a review, if you like!**


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